Buffs' star taken in the second round

For several minutes during
the broadcast of the second
round of Monday's WNBA
Draft, Colorado's Chucky Jeff´
ery was listed among ESPN's
three best players available.

With her mom and many of
her teammates and coaches
around her in the CU locker
room, Jeffery watched and wait´
ed anxiously until she was no
longer an available player.

Jeffery was selected by the
Minnesota Lynx with the No. 24
overall pick - the final pick in
the second round.

"It's unexplainable," said Jeff´
ery, who completed her college
career last month by leading the
Buffaloes to the NCAA Tourna´
ment. "I couldn't yell, I couldn't
scream; I just sat there and look´
ed at the screen and was like,
'This is crazy.' Everybody was
screaming and hugging me. My
body temperature got high and I
was just kind of stunned, but
definitely excited and nervous.
My heart is still pumping."

It has been a dream of Jeff´
ery's to play in the WNBA.

"I'm just excited to have a
team," said Jeffery, who grew up
in Colorado Springs. "I'm ex´
cited that I'm going to get the
opportunity to play for the Min´
nesota Lynx."

One of the best players in CU
history, Jeffery now joins one of
the best teams in the league.
The Lynx won the champion´
ship in 2011 and finished as run´
ner-up in 2012. They are guided
by veteran coach Cheryl Reeve.

"They're a really good team,
they've got some awesome play´
ers," Jeffery said. "I'm just really
excited to get in there and be´
come a learner again.

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I'm really
anxious and excited to meet ev´
erybody and get acclimated."

Jeffery is just the fifth CU
player to be drafted in WNBA
history. The league held its first
draft in 1997. Jeffery and Britta´
ny Spears (2011) are the only
Buffs to be drafted in the last 11
years.

In four years at CU, Jeffery
led the Buffs to the postseason
three times. That included CU's
first run to the NCAA Tourna´
ment in nine years.

Jeffery finished sixth on CU's
all-time scoring list (1,644
points), fifth in rebounds (921),
fourth in assists (481) and
fourth in steals (283). She is the
only player in CU history to
rank among the top six in all
those categories.

Jeffery is the only player in
team history to record 1,500
points, 900 rebounds and 400 as´
sists. Only four players have ac´
cumulated more double-doubles
than her 30, and of the three tri´
ple-doubles in CU history, Jeff´
ery has two of them.

She also finished among the
all-time leaders in field goals
made (sixth, 619), 3-pointers
made (15th, 75) and blocks
(13th, 71).

A point guard at CU, Jeffery
isn't sure where she will play as
a pro. Minnesota already has
Lindsay Whalen, who is one of
the league's best point guards.
The Lynx also drafted Nebras´
ka's Lindsay Moore, one of the
top collegiate point guards, in
the first round.

Jeffery, however, has the
skills to play in a variety of
spots. She will need to put all of
her skills on display as she tries
to make the 11-player roster this
season.

"It is extremely hard to make
a team," Lappe said. "You have
to be something special and
show how special you are in
training camp. I think what
Chucky is going to bring, she's
going to bring a level of athleti´
cism and quickness. The ability
to play multiple positions I think
is going to really benefit her."

The Lynx are led by super´
stars Seimone Augustus and
Maya Moore, two of Jeffery's fa´
vorite players.

Notable

Jeffery said she will report to
training camp on May 5. The
Lynx open the season June 1
against Connecticut. ... Aside
from Spears and Jeffery, the only
other Buffs taken in the WNBA
Draft were Isabelle Fijalkowski
(1997), Raegan Scott (1997) and
Mandy Nightingale (2002). CU
had five players drafted by the
ABL from 1996-98.

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